MANUFACTURERS - OCTOBER 2018

Consolidation-minded Construction Supply Group (CSG) has completed its 10th acquisition: California distributor Constar Construction Supply. “This furthers our goal of building a best-in-class wholesale distribution company across North America,” says CSG CEO Mitch Williams, noting that the company will continue to seek additions to its family of concrete and masonry contractor-geared distribution businesses.

The Constar Clovis and Bakersfield branches will be integrated into CSG’s Southwestern unit, Border Construction Specialties. “We are pleased to join the Construction Supply Group team and their platform will allow us to better serve customers,” affirms Constar principal Bill Morse.

“Expansion into contiguous states is exciting for our customer base and strategic growth plans. We look forward to continued success with the entire Constar team,” adds Border Construction President Brian Saker.

After integrating Constar, Denver-based CSG will have 87 branches and 1,150-plus employees serving upward of 25,000 customers with a 70,000-product offering. CSG was chartered in late-2016 with Border Construction and peer operators Brock White Co. and Stetson Building Products.

CEO Jeff Dziki sees the FBN segment as an “opportunity to tell the world the story of how Forney actually improves construction results through automating and recording laboratory test efforts. The test report is the lab’s product, but it’s the process that instills confidence. [At] 100 years young, we’ve been in the vanguard developing technology that keeps all of us just a little bit safer.”

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT

Posted at www.aem.org/workforce-development-toolkit, the kit is one component of AEM’s overall workforce development program, joining a webinar series where hosts address veterans hiring, apprenticeships, and third-party partnerships, plus a scholarship initiative for educators seeking certification to offer high school student equipment-specific courses.

Two million positions could be left unfulfilled over the next decade in the manufacturing sector unless steps are taken to start filling the talent pipeline, according to a report by management consultant Deloitte. To help attract talent and bring awareness to the industry, the Milwaukee-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers developed a tool kit for manufacturers and industry partners to use in outreach to their local schools and communities recruiting the next generation of skilled workers. The kit responds to the workforce shortage affecting equipment manufacturers, distributors, operators and other industry segments.

“With the skills gap this industry is facing, we need to collectively act or risk losing another generation of talent,” says AEM Workforce Development Task Force Chair Mark Core (Vermeer Corp.). “This industry offers good-paying jobs and exciting career paths, and we need to do a better job of telling that story in classrooms and our communities.”

AEM conferred with a task force of equipment manufacturers, dealers and education experts to develop the tool kit. The ideas, activities and sample materials can be customized and applied to workforce development outreach efforts undertaken by any segment of the industry.

“Equipment manufacturers wanted to develop a resource they could use themselves, but also one they could share with their customer groups and end-users to showcase the opportunities available throughout the industry—whether on the shop floor, at a dealership, or on a job site,” notes AEM President Dennis Slater. “This tool kit provides actionable ideas, resources, and support for employers in the equipment sector to kick start their outreach, or build on what they already have underway when it comes to recruiting our future workforce.”

LEHIGH HANSON JOINS AEC EDUCATION PLATFORM

Lehigh Hanson Inc. has launched two cement-related certification courses on AEC Daily, one of the largest continuing education content sources for architects, engineers, contractors and other construction professionals:

Concrete That Cleans Itself and the Environment(online; self-paced). Examines photocatalytic cement technology now available for vertical and horizontal concrete surfaces. Explains self-cleaning and pollution abatement properties of structures or slabs that likewise maintain the mechanical and physical properties of conventional concrete.

Overview of Masonry Mortars (online; self-paced). Covers the performance and specification considerations related to different types of mortar used for masonry construction, including portland/lime mixes, mortar cement and masonry cement.

“Lehigh Hanson is pleased to offer these quality, on-demand education programs through AEC Daily,” says Lehigh Hanson Senior Director of Marketing Lori Tiefenthaler. “These free courses are a great way for designers, architects and construction professionals to stay up to date on the latest information and help them with their continuing education efforts.”

The courses are taught by industry professionals meeting PDH requirements and available 24/7. AEC Daily courses meet up to 38 professional association certification requirements for keeping professional’s licenses current.

Successful audits through Pennsylvania environmental consultant GreenCircle LLC have enabled BASF Construction Chemicals to provide third-party verified Manufacturer Inventory Reports covering admixture and fiber products to meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED v4 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Material Ingredients, Option 1 credit requirements. BASF is the first admixture company to generate third-party LEED v4-compliant Manufacturer Inventory Reports through GreenCircle, which verified that the company’s internal Product Compliance Management System assesses the hazards of all product line ingredients, including impurities. The verification provides BASF with the capabilities for certifying its entire Master Builders Solutions portfolio.

“With the GreenCircle Certification, we ensure an independent authentication of our sustainability claims and help architects and design engineers make educated product selection decisions during the research and design phase of a project,” says BASF Construction Chemicals Manager, Applied Sustainability David Green. “BASF is committed to providing product material transparency information to support the construction industry’s efforts to deliver healthy and sustainable solutions to the built environment.”

BASF offers a wide range of sustainability tools and service solutions to support the construction industry, he adds, including externally verified, ISO-compliant declarations for concrete products (Environmental Product Declarations); a comparative life cycle assessment methodology that balances the cost and environmental impacts of alternative products, processes and technologies (Eco-Efficiency Analysis); and, the Green Sense concrete advanced mixture optimization service yielding high quality, environmentally-preferable concrete.

“Environmentally-preferred products are truly changing how construction material selection decisions are being made,” affirms Green. “Demand for transparent information on products and solutions in all business sectors will continue to grow.”

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Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete. With an editorial focus on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics, Concrete Products provides practical information for management professionals on how to run their day to day business.